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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Polishing the Stone

How does one transfer
thoughts, emotions and passion from their heart to the page in a publishable
manner? That is the question I hope to answer today.

I have been writing for
a little over thirteen years, and one of the most important things I have
learned is that the process cannot happen in a vacuum.

When writing, we
sometimes chip away at a scene word by painful word, or we hit a beautiful
stride and the words are flowing and the story is magically popping onto the
screen before our very eyes. As the artist placing each noun and verb in
its appropriate place, we sometimes lose our ability to critically judge our
own work.

We may think it is
simply not working, or we may believe it is perfection, the next NYT
bestseller. As much as I strive for the latter, I have found I am
often not in a place to determine whether or not the story is working and
flowing as much as I might think I can.

That is where the value
of a good critique group comes in. For me, my critique group is not a
luxury but an absolute necessity. I am fortunate enough to belong to a
group of published professionals representing many mainstream genres.
This provides a sense of balance with each piece of fiction written.

Our group consists of 12
members, although all do not come every time we meet. We are all pursuing
publication, not just writing for self-fulfillment, which tends to make
critiquing the manuscript easier and more cohesive.

We meet on a regular
basis, twice a month. Our leader is not only brilliant, but fantastic at
keeping us on task and enforcing the rules. We do not deviate during a
critique to other topics. The person whose work is being critiqued cannot
speak. They must only listen, and apply those changes to their manuscript
as they see appropriate. Only constructive and specific comments are allowed.
We also do not bring the same chapter or scene twice. We bring it
once, have it critiqued and move on. We usually do not bring more than 2500
words unless we are trying to get something out for a contest or a deadline.
We have other rules which are strictly enforced, but rather than
providing an atmosphere of inflexibility, the structure provides an excellent
place to learn and think.

If you do not have a
critique group in your area, perhaps you can start one yourself? Gather
some genre writers together, forge rules you believe will work best, or feel
free to use our rules, and begin to meet.

Your work will evolve,
becoming smoother and cleaner. The dead weight will be eliminated, the plot and
motivation will be sharpened, and the story will shine in a way you envisioned
it. You will also find yourself staying on task more during your working
hours as you will want to have your 2500 words to bring to your next critique
group meeting.

Lisa Asenato would be delighted to visit your
bookstore, library, or function to read, speak, and/or sign copies of her
newest release, “Pirate by Night”. Lisa
is from beautiful and often snowy, upstate New York, and is a lover of romance,
happy endings, and her Creator. She is
published in both fiction and non-fiction and loves to encourage those who are
also seeking publication. Her latest novel, “Pirate by Night.” Social Media
Information: Website: www.lisaasenato.com Email: lisa@lisaasenato.comFacebook: Lisa Asenato, Author of
Inspirational Historical Romance

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